A number of taxi-hailing Uber and Taxify users in Dar es Salaam have lodged complaints against rogue drivers using various ways to extend the distance travelled by riders in order to charge them exaggerated fees.
Tanzanian riders who talked to The Citizen expressed concerns that local users of the taxi-hailing service are fast losing confidence in the automated billing system, which drivers are manipulating to defraud passengers.
Taxify and Uber said they were aware of the violations.
“Yes we have received such complaints. Our system regularly identifies drivers who try to abuse the GPS system, after which they are automatically deactivated from the platform,” Taxify country manager Tanzania Remmy Eseka told The Citizen.
Uber communications officer for East Africa, Ms Janet Kemboi, said the company was also taking measures to prevent fraudulent activities by drivers.
“We have advanced anti-fraud measures. Drivers found doing this will be removed from the app; riders should report any concerns they have and our 24/7 customer support teams will look into the issue and offer refunds when applicable,” she said.
Complaints
One passenger who used a Taxify taxi on Sunday from the US embassy to Kinyerezi said he was billed TSh18,000 (Sh802) on grounds that he had travelled 22 kilometres, while before the journey, the Taxify billing estimate indicated that he would pay between TSh8,000 (Sh356) and TSh12,000 (Sh535).
“I was surprised to receive such a bill, so I asked the driver why the bill is different from the one indicated before the trip; all he said was there was a traffic jam,” the passenger told The Citizen.
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